Peanut-shelling machine



W. W. PICKRON.

PEANUT SHELLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED nc.2e. ms.

Pdtented Feb. 22, 1921.

WILLIAM W. PICKRON, OF'GBACEVILLE, FLORIDA.

PEANUT-SHELLING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 26, 1918. Serial ii'o. 268,227.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. PICKRON, a citizen of the United States, residin at Graceville, in the county of Jackson, State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Peanut-shelling Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

This invention relates to pea-nut shelling machines embodying a concave and cylinder, to which the peanuts are first subjected and are thereafter sifted and winnowed to separate the skins and hulls from the kernels. The object of the invention is to provide a construction wherein the nuts will be subjected to both a pressing and a grinding action so that the shells may be broken and the kernels discharged without injury to the kernel.

A further object of the invention 18 to provide a structure that will not only be eflicient in its operation and thus appeal to the user, but which furthermore will facilitate manufacture and thus through economy, not only benefit the manufacturer directly but the user indirectly.

In the, drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the upper portion of the machine with the hopper and its associated parts thrown back to expose the concave. i

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section taken vertically and transversely through one of the reentrant heads of the cylinder casing and showing the manner of fastening there to the upper concave sections.

Fig. 4 is, a detail perspective view of the slatted member of the concave.

Fig. 5 is a central vertical section through the apparatus taken from front to rear.

Fig. 6 is asection oniline 6- 6 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus includes a body portion comprising the corner uprights 10 upon which are secured the sides 11 and 12 and the ends 13 and 14.

The top of the general casing or body includes a cross board 15, at one side of which is a removable closure 16 while at the other side is a hopper. This hopper includes the which are spaced apart to form the outlet 21 which is some distance above the lower edges of the ends. Supplemental front and rear walls 22 and 23 abut the walls 19 and 20 and terminate flush with the lower edges of the ends, the rear supplemental wall 23 being hinged to the cross board 15 so that this hopper may be moved readily from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2, and back again. A suitable fastener as illustrated holds it in its last named position.

In the upper edges of the sides of the body where they are beneath the lower ed es of the hopper ends, are formed semi-circular recesses 25, and with these recesses there register corresponding recesses26 formed in the lower edge portions of the hopper ends. The recesses 26 are described, each by two arcs struck on different centers, one being concentric with the curve of the recess 25 and the other eccentric thereto.

-VVithin each of the recesses 26 is what might be termed a casing head consisting of a short cylinder 27 having its inner end closed save for a central bearing opening 28 which is continued through a central boss 29, these bearing openings receiving the cylinder shaft 30, hereinafter moreparticularly referred to. Between the periphery of each of the heads 27 and the edge of the corresponding recess 26, is one end of each of two upper concave sections 32 and, 31 and which extend from the lower edges of the hopper ends to and beneath the front 'a nd rear hopper walls 19 and 20 respectively, these two concave sections being thus spaced apart at their upper edges to form a continuation of the discharge opening 21 of the hopper. These concave sections, as shown in Fig. 3 are bolted to the heads 27 and these heads Patented. Feb. 22, 1921.

in turn are held securely to the hopper through the'medium of bolts passed through the radiating flanges 33 of the heads and secured attheir ends against the inner faces of the semi-circular bands 35 that fit into the recesses 25. The semi-circle described by'the inner faces of the slats 34 has the same radius as have the heads 27 so that. when the hopper is in active position, as shown. in Fig. 5, these heads rest tightly against the end portions of the slats. It will be noted that the flanges 33 of the heads extend beyond this lower concave section and thus provide against longitudinal displacement of the section when the apparatus is in to the heads 27. The curve described by the inner face of the section 32 has the same radius as the heads, while the inner face of section 31 which is eccentric as has been stated, converges from the mouth 21 of the hopper downward toward the cylinder on what will be inlet or working side of the cylinder as will be described below.

The shaft 30, as above stated, carries the cylinder which includes a hollow drum 36 within and near *the ends of which are webs 37 provided with hubs 38 through the medium of Which the drum is mounted upon the shaft, these hubs being eccentric to the drum which is itself cylindrical so that as the shaft 30 is rotated, the drum is given a gyratory movement.

The hulling cylinder includes also a series of strips 38 disposed longitudinally of and against the outer face of the drum 36, the inner faces of these strips being curved to fit the drum to which they are secured by means of bolts 39. The forward ed e of each strip is thick andundercut as s own at 40, and in each undercut isreceived the comparativel thin rear edge portion of the next strip fhrward. Said front edge is radial to the cylinder from its undercut c0r-. ner outward, rounded at its outer corner, and there merges into the outer face. The latter is substantially tangential to the cylinder, approaching the axis as the strip grows thinner to its rear. edge, but specifically said outer face is struck on an Ogee curve as shown.

With this construction of c linder and its arrangement with respect to t e concave section it will be seen that any complete nuts,

that is unshelled nuts, that pass from the hopper will drop onto these nut cracking strips and thence will pass to the space below and at the sides of the cylinder. As the cylinder rotates with its gyratory movement, its crushing strips or members drag through the accumulated nuts as they move in the direction of their minor edges, the strips treatment just referred to, the product is sifted and winnowed, for which purpose the following mechanism is employed: Against the sides 11 and 12 of the body casing are secured the pairs of inclined and vertically spaced guide strips 41 between which are disposed the longitudinal edge portions of a reciprocatory kicker board 42 from which depends a U-shaped strap 43 that encircles the crank 44 of a shaft 45, journaled in the sides 11 and 12 of the body so that as the shaft rotates the board is given a rapid reciprocation and being positioned beneath the slatted concave member, it receives the product' from it and urges it rearwardly and downwardly of the apparatus.

In the rear wall 13 of the body casing is an opening 14' in which is mounted a"deflector consisting of a'flat plate 46 secured at its ends against a pair of disks 47 that are mounted upon and fixedto a shaft 48 that is journaled in the sides of the body casing and provided with any suitable de vice such as a binding nut 49 engaged with one end to impinge against the casing, for holding the shaft in different angularly adjusted positions. This plate 46 is so positioned that the discharge from the kicker board 42 is a roximatel alon its lon iy g a tudinal medial line. d

An additional pair of inclined and vertically spaced guides 50 is secured against the inner face of each side Wall 11 and 12 but while bein at substantially the same angle as the strips 41, they slant oppositely. They receive between them a riddle comprising a rectangular'frame 51, the sides and ends of which are rabbeted in their inner faces as shown at 52 to receive a rectangular screen frame 53 having a'foraminous covering 54. The lower end member of the frame 51 is materially broadened and extends through and beyond the front wall of the body and constitutes a discharge spout for the hull'ed'kernels. f, This broadened end portion of the frame 511m a de-' pending U-shaped strap 55 that encircles the crank portion of a crank shaft 56 mounted in bearings 57 on thebody and through the medium of which the riddle is reciprocated. A centrifugal fan is provided and the discharge spout of its casing is disposed to direct the blast against the deflector plate 46 between the kicker board and the riddle, 7

this spout having'a lip 58 thatranges downwardly therefrom in a direction between the deflector plate 46 and the rear end of the screen and revents eddy currents from passing down a ong the screen and carrying with them objectionable matter. v V,

With this construction it will be noted that thekernels being relatively heavy, will pass down the plate 46 against theupwardly moving air blastzwhich-willcarry the shells and skinsoutwardly overthe upper edge of the plate, the kernels finally dropping from of the kernels which then pass from the discharge spout.

The apparatus is driven from a band wheel 68 fixed to one end of'the shaft 30,

the other end of the shaft having fixed thereto also a band wheel 58 with which is engaged a band or belt 59 engaged also with a wheel 60 on the fan shaft 61. The opposite end of the fan shaft has a sprocket wheel 62 with which is engaged a chain 63 engaged also with a sprocket wheel 64 at one end of the shaft 56, the other end of said shaft having a sprocket wheel 65 with which engages a chain 66 that engages the sprocket Wheel 67 on the shaft 45. Thus, upon rotation of the wheel 67, the entire mechanism is operated. V

lVith the readily removable arrangement of the "lower concave section, it will be understood that it may be readily replaced by a different concave section when a different quality of material is operated upon of the same species or when there is an entirely different species involved, while the adjustability of the deflector plate 46 enables the setting of it at an angleto determine the strength of the blast commensurate with the work involved. 1

WVhat is claimed is 1. In an apparatus of the classdescribed, the combination with a relatively fixed horizontal crushing member of substantially cylindrical shapewith an inlet along its top, its lower portion being slatted and constituting an outlet; of a rotary crushing member eccentrically mounted on an axis through the true center of the fixed member and having a body of uniform cylindrical contour throughout its length and provided with strips along its face to coact with said slats.

2. In an-apparatus of the class described,

the combination with a substantially cylindrical concave supported on a horizontal axis and having an opening along its top; of a cylinder eccentrically mounted wlthm the concave and including a drum, and strips thereon each tapering from one edge to the other, and having its outer face substantially tangential to the drum,'the thick front edge of one strip being undercut and embracing the thin rear edge of the next.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a substantially cylin drical concave supported on a horizontal axis and having an opening along its top;

of a cylinder eccentrically mounted within the concave and including a drum, and strips thereon each having a bodythicker at its front edge than its rear edge, said front edge being radial to the drum and undercut and embracing the thin rear edge of the next strip in rear. 7

4. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination with a substantially cylindrical concave supported on a horizontal axis and having an opening along its top; of a cylinder eccentrically mounted within the concave and including a drum and strips thereon each having its inner face dished to fit the drum, its front edge radial to the drum and undercut to receive the rear edge of the strip next in front, the

outer corner of said front edge rounded, and

the outer face receding from said corner to the rear edge. 7

5. The herein described grinding cylinder comprising a drum mounted on an axis, and a series of strips bolted to the periphery 1 of the drum, each strip having its inner face dished to fit the drum, its front edge radial and undercut to receive the rear edge of the next strip in advance, and its outer face struck on an ogee curve from said front edge to its rear edge.

6. In an apparatus of the class described,

the combination with a grinding cylinder In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM W. PICKRON. Witnesses:

P. L. EVERR'ITT, H. L. GRACE. 

